Cable-spinning apparatus.



No. 783,202. PATBNTED FEB. 21, 1905.

W. HILDENBRAND.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Y amen/ oz a; a, MW 35 643130611013 I No. 788,202. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905.

I W. HILDENBRAND.

CABLE SPINNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 2.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G t N wit mosa cs I v UNTTED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT EETEE.

CABLE-SPINNING APPARATUS,

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 783,202, dated February 21, 1905. Application filed April 2,1904. Serial No. 201,255-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILHELM HILDEN- BRAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cable-Spinning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

An important part of the apparatus required in I the making of wire suspensionbridge cables in the spinning-in-the-air process is the so-called traveling wheel, by which the wires are carried from one anchorage to the other. This wheel is drawn by an endless traveling rope from one to the other anchorage over the tops of the towers, drawing wire one way and returning empty or idle. Prior to the present invention the traveling wheel and the traveling rope were constructed and operated as follows: The rope was driven back and forth by appropriate mechanism and ran on top of grooved idlers or pulleys which were journaled at intervals on the frames of the falsework or temporary foot-bridges carried by temporary cables extending over the tops of the towers from anchorage to anchorage. The wheel was journaled on a horizontal axle or stud fixed to a vertical hanger whose upper end was provided with a gooseneck, and the short end of the gooseneok was split, and the split ends were bent at right angles to the plane of the gooseneck, grooved on the under side, laid on top of the traveling rope, and lashed thereto by a wire wrapping. The wire to be drawn across was always at one anchorage and was wound on a drum which was suitably mounted for rotation. The end of the wire was and is looped about the traveler-wheel, taken around a fixed shoe at the anchorage, and made fast to same fixed part. The rope is then started and the wheel drawn across over the towers to the far anchorage, drawing thewire from the drum as it goes. For the purpose of avoiding bending the hanger a bridle connected the axle of the wheel and with the rope in advance of the wheel, such bridle being connected with the rope by a second gooseneck and consisting of a wire or chain, and so was flexible in its nature. The goosenecks rose vertically from the rope, bent to one side, and then were carried down to the axle of the wheel. A counterweight was also connected to the hanger, sometimes hanging below the wheel and sometimes being fast to the axle opposite the hub of the wheel. The idlers were deeply grooved, as such grooves were the sole dependence in keeping the traveler-rope in place. The process of spinning the cables by the use of this old apparatus is a slow, bothersome, and costly one, as the rope is liable at any moment to and frequently does jump out of one or more of the idlers, since the strain on the rope is not uniform, though the moving power is. The counterweight also is troublesome, no matter how nor where placed, as it requires wide or deep clearances where space is limited. The tension on the wire being drawn across is not uniform, but jerky, and at every jerk the counterweight and wheel swing laterally and frequently strike against and catch on the falsework, idlers, &c., and something has to give way or break, thus bringing work to astandstill until repairs are made.

The objects of the present invention are to avoid the costly breakdowns incident to the old methods and apparatus, to decrease the time required for spinning a cable, and to improve the construction and operation of the apparatus. These objects are attained by apparatus illustrated in the accompanying d rawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side view with parts omitted and broken away. Fig. 2 is a like view of a modified arrangement. Fig. 3 is a transverse view of an axle and bridle connections. Fig. 4 is a view of a hanger and traveling wheel. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of a clamp and arm on the traveling rope. Fig. 7 is a side view of another modification, and Fig. 8 is a detail.

Referring to the drawings, the reference-numeral 1 marks the endless traveling rope, part only of which is shown, which is drawn back and forth in the usual manner.

2 marks clamps consisting of a pair of lateral jaws 3, united by the cylindrical part i, which is provided with the bore 5 for receiving the rope I therein. Opposite to the jaws 3 the part 4 has a plate 6 extending laterally therefrom, and to the plate 6 a round pin 7 is rigidly connected, said pin extending laterally or horizontally also. The jaws 3 have registering holes 8 therein, whereby they may I be riveted or bolted together firmly to grasp the rope 1 between them in the hole 5, so as not to turn on the rope. The forward and back edges of the clamps are beveled, so as to enter the more readily between pairs of idlers where these are placed one over the other and to pass the same when they are staggered or are not placed one over another, the cylindrical part 4 entering the grooves in the idlers, as will be understood.

I In the instance illustrated in Fig. 2 there are three clamps 2, mounted on the rope 1, and a hanger-bar 9 is suspended from the middle pin 7, the eye of the bar 9 being held on by a cotter-pin 10 or by other suitable means. The lower end of the hanger 9 has an eye 11, through which passes the axle 12 for the traveling wheel and to which axle the eye is made fast in any suitable way,'so as to be rigid therewith. Bridles 13 are pivotally connected by eyes 14 with the outer pins 7 and by eyes 15 with the axle 12. The eyes 15,-in the instance shown in Fig. 2, are elongated slots and are placed between the hanger 9 and a collar 16, which is rigidly connected with the axle 12 or which may be loose thereon. The hub 17 of the wheel 18 fits on the axle 12, so as to turn thereon, and is held in place by a cotter-pin 20 and washer 19 or in other suitable way.

The bridles 13 (shown in Fig. 2) consists of eyes 14, which have platejaws 21 integral therewith, a T-bar 22 between and riveted or bolted to the jaws 21, and eyes 15 riveted or bolted to the bar 22, or the T-bar may be replaced by an angle-bar or-by a channel-bar. The elongated eyes 15 give flexibility to the structure and adapt it to the conditions under which it must operate.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. l the central pin 7and its clamp 2 are omitted, and so also of the hanger, and the eyes of the bridlrs 13 fit snugly on the axle 12, which is pinned or splined to an eye 15, while the eye 15 turns freely. on said axle. In this instance the collar 16 is fast on the axle, and a nut 23 engages with the threaded end of the axle and holds it in place. The remaining parts are or may be as hereinbefore described. This construction allows the clamps 2 to move toward and from each other as the rope 1 bends and straightens out in use, the eye15 turning on the axle 12 at such times.

Some of the objects of my invention may be attained by the use of the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8, whereinthe bridles l3 comprise bars 24, having cross-arms 25 and chains 26 connecting said arms with the axle 12 at each side of the wheel 18, the chains on that side of the traveling wheel 18 away from the hanger 9 being detachable in any suitable manner to allow the loop of the wire to be put on and taken off the wheel 18. a

By the construction shown the center of gravity and resistance of the entire mass of the wheel, bridles, and hanger (where the last is used) may be brought vertically under the traveling rope, thus enabling me to dispense with the counterweight necessary in the prior construction. The wire to be drawn from anchorage to anchorage may with the described construction be drawn in both directions as the wheel is drawn back and forth, thus halving the time. Moreover, thelaterally-extending connection between the rope and the hanger and bridles permits of the use of guide-sheaves or idlers both above and below the rope, which is therefore held against jumping out of the idlers, and breakdowns are avoided.

What is claimed is 1. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope and a traveling wheel connected by bridles at each side of the wheel or extending in two directions from the axle of said wheel.

2. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, the traveling wheel, bridles connected to the rope before and behind the wheel, and lateral arms rigidly connected to said rope whereby the bridles are connected thereto.

3. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, a traveling wheel, bridles extending in both directions from said wheel, and a hanger for the wheel, and lateral arms rigidly connected with said rope and to which the bridles and hanger are pivotally connected.

4. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, supporting pulleys or idlers below and hold down or depression pulleys or idlers above said rope, the traveling wheel, lateral arms fast on said rope, said arms being located before and behind said wheel, and bridles pivotally connected with said arms and connected with the axle of said wheel.

5. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, supporting pulleys or idlers below and hold-down or depression pulleys above said rope, the traveling wheel, lateral arms fast to said rope, one arm above, one arm forward of, and one arm behind, said wheel, a hanger pivotally connected with the central lateral arm and carrying the axle for said wheel, and bridles pivotally connected with the forward and back lateral arms and with said axle.

6. In apparatus for spinning wire cables for I suspension-bridges, a traveling rope, a hanger connected thereto and provided With an axle for the traveling wheel vertically underneath said rope, and the traveling wheel arranged on said axle with the centers of gravity and resistance in the vertical plane through said rope, in combination with bridles extending in both directions from said wheel and connected with said traveling rope.

7. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, lateral arms rigidly connected thereto, a traveling wheel and rigid bridles connected with the axle of said wheel and pivotally connected with said lateral arms.

8. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, a traveling wheel, an axle for said wheel, and rigid bridles connected to said rope and at least one of which is pivotally connected with said axle.

9. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension-bridges comprising a traveling rope, a traveling wheel, an axle for said whee], lateral arms rigidly connected with said rope, and rigid bridles pivotally connected with said arms and at least one of said bridles being pivotally connected with said axle.

10. Apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension bridges comprising a traveling rope, three lateral arms fast on said rope, a hanger pivotally connected with the middle arm and provided with a lateral axle, a traveling wheel mounted on said axle, and rigid bridles pivotally connected with the outer arms and with said axle.

11. In apparatus for spinning wire cables for suspension-bridges the traveling rope combined with a clamp consisting of a hollow cylinder through which the rope passes, clamping-jaws at one side and a plate at the other side of said cylinder, and a round pin extending outward laterally from said plate, and a bridle pivotally connected with said pin.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, a traveling rope provided with laterally-extending arms for the connections to the traveling wheel, and supporting and holddown pulleys for said rope placed below and above the same and *coacting therewith.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 30th day of March, A. D. 1904:.

WILHELM HILDENBRAND.

Witnesses:

EDITH J. GRIswoLD, RICHARD W. BARKLEY. 

